Method and machine for cleaning carcasses in groups



1. W. KOHLHEPP.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR CLEANING CARCASSES IN GROUPS.

APPLICATION min 1uLY15, 1919.

1,367,055. Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. W. KOHLHEPP.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR CLEANING CARCASSES IN GROUPS.

APPLICATION IILED IuLY 15.1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

www [ESSEC- v .JQ/m I/I/.Emm @Wp mmm Feb. I, 1921.

I. W. KOHLHEPP.

METHOD AND MACHINE FORCLEANING CARCASSES IN GROUPS.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 15| 1919. 19362055 Patented Heb. 1I, 11921..

WilEEEEE IEVEQICJLR mm @fm www J. W. KOHLHEPP.

METHOD /IND MACHINE FOR CLEANING CARCASSES IN GROUPS.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY I5, 1919.

LG', Patented Feb. 1, 1921.'

s SHEETS-Smm 4.

J. W. KOHLHEPP.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR CLEANING CARCASSES lN GROUPS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1919. y ],3('\'7,O')5,` Patented Feb. 1, 1921.'

5 SHEETS-SHET 5.

UNITED -sTATEs PATENT oFFlcE.

JOHN W. KOHLHEPJ?, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ALLBRIGHT-NELL COM- PANY, 6F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR CLEANING CARCASSES IN GROUPS.

' application ma .'ru'ly is,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. KoHLrIEPP, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chica o, in the county of Cook and State of I linois, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Methods and Machines forv Cleaning Car- 4 casses in Groups; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marke thereon,- which form a part of this specificatlon.

This invention relates to a carcass cleaning machine wherein exible and rigid massaging mechanisms are adapted to successfully clean carcasses in added pressure produce by the accumulated weight of the plurality of carcasses fac1l1- tates cleaning thereof and causes-the massaging mechanisms to do more efficient work.

It is an object of this invention to provide a carcass dehairing machine adapted to clean carcasses in groups.

It is also an object of the invention to provide acarcass cleaning machine wherein a plurality of carcasses are adapted to coact on each other to facilitate cleaning as they are being acted upon by rotatable scraping mechanisms. l

A further object of the invention is the construction of a carcass cleaning machine wherein a plurality of carcasses are adapted to be simultaneously cleaned by delivering the same in quantlties into the field of o eration of rotatable scraping drums one of which is adapted to be stopped independently of the other to permit discharge of the carcass between the drums when said carcasses have been sufficiently cleaned.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a carcass dehairing machine wherein a plurality of carcasses rub and scrape one another as they are acted upon by rotatable dehairing mechanisms.

Another object of the invention is the construction of a carcass cleaning machine having a plurality of independently operable sets of rotatable scraping drums, each set of said drums adapted to clean a number lof carcasses, and further capable of having one of the drums thereof stopped to permit Specication of Letters Patent.

(groups, in which the Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

181s. serial No. 310,971.

discharge of the carcasses between the drums, while the other sets of drums are still in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of cleaning carcasses by delivering a number of carcasses into the field of operation of cleaning wheels so that the added Wei ht of the carcasses will raise the cleaning e ciency of the machine.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a carcass dehairing machine adapted to simultaneously clean a plurality of groups of carcasses disposed in the field of operation of sets of rotatable dehairing drums, each group of carcasses-adapted to be discharged from the machine independently, or simultaneously with the other groups by stop ing certain of the drums.

Other and urther important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and drawings.

4The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Fi ure l is a side elevation of a carcass dehairing machine partly broken away and embodying the principles of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the machine broken away to show the discharge chute or' grate, and a portion of a conveyer.

Fig. 4 is a detail view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. l, with parts omitted.

Fig. 5 is a detail end view of carcass conveying support taken on line 5--5, of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the conveyer.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary top view and end view of the discharge chute.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the iiexible scraping wheels. Fig. 9 is a front view thereof,

. 55 It is furthermore an object of this inven- Fig. is a detail section taken -on line 'l0-10, of Fig. 8.

Fig. 1l is an enlarged side elevation of one of the rigid scraping wheels.`

' Fig. 12 is a front View thereof.

Fig. 13 is a detail section taken on line 13--13 of Fig. 11.

As show-n on the drawings:

The reference numeral 1, indicates a scalding vat lor tank, supported by legs 2, and having an enlarged conveyer sectlon 3, at one end thereof. The section 3, has the end thereof resting in an angle support 4, whlch is rigidly secured transversely on the front end of a machine framework 5. Dlsposed adjacent one another within the tank section 3, are two inclined conveyer mechanismsl each embracing a lower horizontal shaft 6, and an upper shaft 7, which is supported on journal brackets 8, secured to the front of the framework 5, and above the tank section 3. Secured on the lower shaft 6, are two spaced sprocket gears 9, around whichtwo endless chains or link belts 10, are trained. The chains 10, incline upwardl toward the frame-work 5, and are engage around two sprocket gears 11, securegd near the ends of the upper shaft 7. One end of the shaft. 7,

vextends beyond the side of the framework 5, and has secured thereon'a driving sprocket gear 12, around which a driving chain 13, is engaged. The two chains 10, are secured together by a plurality of-transversely disposed parallel angle bars 14, to form a carcass conveyer. Rigidly secured on each ofthe angle bars 14, are a plurality of lifting lingers or prongs 15, disposed adjacent one another in spaced relation. The lower parts of said fingers 15, are bent at an angle and are rigidly secured to the angle cross-bars 14, by rivets 16, or other suitable means. Each of the conveyer mechanisms is independently adjustable by means of an adjustin'g rod 17, one end of which is attached to a supporting block 18, for the lower shaft 6,' while the other end of said rod 17, is threaded as at 18, and threads through a bracket Imember 19. The free end of the rod 17, is provided with a square head 20, to receive a tool to permit rotation of said rod to move the shaft 6 toward or away from the are a plurality of spaced out-wardl rojecting fingers or prongs 25, so. space .t lat the conveyer fingers l5, will pass therebetween when the conveyers are in operation. The apron 24, is positioned to receive the carcasses as they are conveyed from the scalding tank by means of the conveyer mechanisms.

Secured to the upri hts of the framework 5, are a plurality of orizontal lower supporting bars or angle members 26, and upper supporting bars or angle members 27. Connected to the bars 26 and 27, near the rear of the machine are vertical angle members 28. Rigidly secured in the rear portion of the framework 5, to the vertical members 28, and to the rear uprights of the framework, is an inclined discharge apron or grate comprisingl an upper transverse beam 29, attached to the upright members 28, and a parallel lower transverse angle member 30, secured to the framework upr1ghts. A plurality of parallel s aced incllned grate bars 31, have the en s thereof secured to the members 29 and 30. Carcasses delivered onto the discharge grate roll downwardly thereon and pass into a dis charge chute or hopper 32, mounted on the rear end of the machine.

As clearly shown in Fig. 2, two independent sets of dehairing or cleaning mechanisms are shown mounted adjacent one another within the framework 5, and positioned to co-act with the conveyer mechansms to receive carcasses therefrom. Each set of the dehairing mechanisms comprises a lower cleaning device and an upper cleaning device said upper cleaning device being ositioned above and to the rear of the ower cleaning device. The lower cleaning device embraces a horizontal shaft 33, the inner end of which is journaled in a central bearin box 34, while the outer position`is journa ed in an outer bearing 35. Mounted on the outer projecting end of the shaft 33,

is an outer and an inner sprocket gear."`

Trained around the outer sprocketgear is the chain 13. The inner sprocket gear has an endless chain 36', trained therearound. Formed on the shaft 33, is a cleaning drum made up of a plurality of adjacently positionejd cleanin or massaging wheels each embracing a rigid hub 37, a flat rigid rim 38, and radial rigid spokes 39, integrally connected between the hub and rim. Secured in offset or stag red relation on the wheel rim 38, and a ternately projecting slightly beyond the opposite sides thereof are a plurality of circumferentially disposed dehairing or cleaning devices. Each dehairing device comprises a rectangular plate 40, having a cushion 4-1, secured to the lower surface, anid a plurality of scraper blades 42, secured in staggered relation on the outer surface. The dehairin'g devices are secured to the wheel rim 38, by bolts 43.

I. which the chain 36 is trained. Also mountupper shaft 44, is a iexible cleanin ed on the outer end of the up er shaft 44,

is a clutch mechanism 46, a apted to be.

operated by a lever 47, tostop the upper cleaning mechanism independently of the lower cleaning mechanism. Formed on the drum racing a plurality of adjacent y disposed cleaning or massaging wheels each comprising a luralit of hub members 48,

secured radial y on t e shaft 44, and having secured thereto the inner ends of exible spokes 49.. The outer ends of the flexible spokes 49, are attached to a flexible rim 50, on which a pluralityof scraper blades 51 are mounted in staggered relation.

he operation is as ollows:

The carcasses to be cleaned are iirst placed in the `scalding vat or tank- 1, and when properly scalded are passed into the enlarged section 3, into position to be engaged by the fin ers 15, of either one of the conveyers. arcasses are thus carried upwardly out of the scalding tank by the rotating conveyers, and are deposited' over the tops of the conveyers onto the inclined receiving apron 24--25.

' The conveyers are operableV independently of each other, and are each adapted to carry a plurality of carcasses from the scalding tank and deposit them into the field of o eration of the rotatable cleaning drums. he drums rotate in the same direction, as indicated by the,y small arrows of Fig. 1, and the plurality of carcasses in the field of operation of said drums, are cleaned,

massaged and rotated by the scraper blades 42 and 51. It has been found that when more than two carcasses are thrown into the field of operation of the rotating cleaning drums at one time, much better results are obtained than when only one or two carcasses are cleaned. The carcasses when rotated by the drums act to clean each other. The added pressure of live or more carcasses being cleaned at onetime, produced by the accumulated weight of the plurality of carcasses, acts to materially increase the cleaning efficiency of the machine.

When the group of carcasses being acted upon by the cleaning drums, is sufficiently cleaned, the lever 47, is vmoved to operate the clutch 46, to cause the upper or 'flexible cleaning drum to stop, but permitting the lower drum to continue its rotation. The

' operationcauses the lower drum to iiex the flexible `rims 50, inwardly, by forcing the cleaned carcasses outwardly between the ulpper and lower drums, and upon the inc ined discharge chute or grate- 30'31. From the chute iO-,31, the cleaned carcasses roll into the hopper 32, and are then removed from the machine.

By referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the machlne is rallty of sets of elevating and cleaning mechanisms, each set being independently operable ofv the other. Attention is alo called to the fact that the upper or flexible equipped with a. pludrum of each cleaning mechanism is adapted to be stopped independently of the lower or rigid drum, to permit discharge of cleaned carcasses, between the drums. The rims 50, of the flexible wheels, are held in extended osition by centrifu al force, when the ilexib e drums are rotatedg.

As shown in Fig. 6, the conveyers are adapted to be tightened or loosened by merely rotating the adjusting rods 17 of the respective. conveyers.

Particular yattention is directed to the fact that the dehairing machine is adapted tov receive and clean a plurality of carcasses at the same time. The cleaning of carcasses in groups by means of rotatable scraping mechanlsms is very eilicient, for the reason that said rotatable scraping mechanisms rotate and. tumble the carcasses about in a common area thus causing the same to rub andscrape against each other, thereby producing a new method of cleaning carcassesmore efficiently and in a comparatively short time.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the princi ples oi.` this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limitingr the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention: 1. A method of simultaneously dehairing a plurality of carcasses which consists in applying` dehairing devices to the same and simultaneously causing said carcasses to rub against each other to remove the hair there? from.

2. A method of cleaning a plurality of carcasses which consists in subjecting thel carcasses to the action of rotatable dehairing drums and causing the carcasses to simultaneously rub one another to assist in the dehairing process.

3. A method of simultaneously dehairing a plurality of carcasses which consists in rotating the carcasses bv rotatable dehairing devices whereby the added pressure caused by the accumulated weight of said carcasses increases the cleaning eiiiciency of the devices and also causes the carcasses to I act on one another to remove the hair therefrom. v EL 4. A method of simultaneously cleaning a group of carcasses which consists in rotating and tumblingthe carcasses about in a common area by means of dehairing devices to cause the carcasses to massage, rub and scrape one another.

In testimony vwhereof 'I .have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two 10 subscribing witnesses.

JOI-IN W. KOHLHEPP.

Witnesses:

F RED E. PAEsLER, CHARLES W. HILLS, Jr. 

